Avatar: The Legend of Kauko
by Kasil
Summary: As deceit and trickery spread across the land, a silent war rages, and the fate of a boy will unravel itself and reveal the next Avatar. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Death and Life

An old Waterbender, a blind old Earthbender, a powerless Water Tribe man, and the Fire Lord stood over a man. This man wore orange and brown robes, and above them were his long beard and bald head. His head, back, and limbs were lined with the blue arrows of a Master Airbender.

The waterbending woman had her hands held out over the Airbender's torso, attempting to heal him, but to apparently no avail. "He's fading," she said quietly. The Water Tribe man began to shake slightly, tears dripping from his eyes. The Earthbender sank to the ground, sitting with her head between her folded arms. The Fire Lord merely stood, showing little expression due to his scarred eye, but still a tear or two dripped from the other.

"Water…" the Airbender gasped, coughing immediately afterwards. "The next… is water…" His eyes struggled to keep opened but inevitably closed. The Waterbender let out a sob before falling to the floor and bursting into tears. The arrows and eyes of the Airbender glowed for an instant, and then they were gone. The Airbender was gone.

Thousands of miles away, at the Northern Water Tribe, a woman's screams rang out into the night. A large blue tent surrounded her and many others waited before her widespread legs. One in the middle bended a large amount of water between the woman's legs to soothe the pain. The screams stopped for a moment. Then new screams could be heard. High pitched screams and sobbing came from a new infant.

"Kauko," the woman managed to gasp out. She fell limp as the baby's umbilical cord was cut.

"She's fading," one of the men said quietly. A nearby woman in the tent let out a sob.

The infant's eyes flashed. No one seemed to be looking, but for a split second, the eyes flashed a bright white. The baby ceased crying and fell to sleep in the doctor's arms.

"But he has no parents! Who else will raise him!?"

"Silence!" erupted the Chief.

Two men stood before the Northern Chief, angrily staring each other in the eye at close quarters. Kauko sat in one of the many seats behind the two arguing men. A large isle lined the center of the room and the Chief and his family sat on a large stage before the rows of seats.

"Now," the Chief began calmly, "we're here to have a humane discussion. Let's try that now before you two start brawling in front of the entire tribe!"

The man closer to Kauko closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it loudly. "I have cared for Kauko for almost 16 years; why are _just now _deciding to take him from me!? I've done a fine job! He's healthy and learning to bend just fine! I supply him with what he needs and my wages are by no means small!"

The man opposite Kauko's guardian closed his eyes and began shaking his head as the guardian spoke. "You just don't get it, do you, Hauno? You're not his father! As much as you want to think you are, you are _not_ his father and you will never _be _his father! Just because you delivered him doesn't mean you should care for him! I believe that his closest living relatives should be his guardians. It only seems right."

Hauno snorted. "You weren't even at your sister's funeral! You hadn't met Kauko until two weeks ago! Just because you're his uncle doesn't mean he should be _your_ child either! You just took off after Sana's death, and now you're back and trying to claim her child? You should be ashamed, Sakodo!"

Silence tore through the room. Kauko loudly muttered something. Most of the people in the room heard it but could not comprehend it. The Chief looked at Kauko who was staring intently at the floor. "What was that, Kauko?" he asked.

"I'm not a child," Kauko said, a little bit louder this time. Hauno looked back at him and managed to catch his eye.

The Chief nodded before declaring loudly, "While you are his blood relative, Sakodo, you have not been there for Kauko. Kauko does not know you, nor should he be forced to for your shameful action of leaving after your sister, his mother's, death. Hauno, while you have been there for Kauko, Sakodo is right on the fact that you are not his father, nor his relative period." The Chief paused for a moment. "Kauko will choose his guardian, and his judgement shall be final. Also, on Kauko's sixteenth birthday in three days, when he comes of age, he shall decide if he is to remain with his guardian or lead his own life. Hauno and Sakodo, neither of you will question this judgement." The room remained silent after the Chief's declaration. "This court is closed." The Chief and his family, his wife and daughter, stood and went beyond the curtains to the private portion of the palace.

Kauko stood and left the room, feeling many eyes watching him as he walked the isle of the courtroom towards the exit. He effortlessly pushed the doors open and stepped outside into the afternoon light. Quickly, he walked around the corner of the building and sat, waiting for Hauno who would surely take longer than Kauko wished to wait.

Kauko was average size for his age, pushing six feet tall, with medium length black hair. His frame was a little skinnier than average, leaving seemingly lanky limbs. Kauko didn't like his long, skinny limbs, but Hauno always told him that they'd help with his bending. Kauko wore a long, dark blue parka with the Water Tribe's symbol on the hood and the right sleeve (near the shoulder).

Eventually, once most of the crowd had poured out of the courtroom, Hauno stepped out into the open. As he walked passed the corner of the building, Kauko began to walk beside him, keeping his gaze straight. Hauno was built similarly to Kauko, but his age increased his size. He stood at about six and a half feet with a slightly larger build than Kauko. A parka similar to Kauko's fell over his body, and shortish gray hair fell from his head, wiry but thick. Wire frame glasses rested on his nose.

It was a quiet walk to the house. Kauko was nervous… He didn't want to deal with the pressures of having to choose his guardian, or just waiting out the days. Sure, his uncle hadn't been there for him, but he was still family…

Hauno glanced down at Kauko occasionally, trying to figure out what he was thinking. When they reached the door, he finally managed to ask the question.

"Whom will you choose?" he asked, pulling a key from his pocket.

Kauko let out a loud sigh. "Why can't I just keep anything to myself?!" He slammed his fist against the house. The ground shook a bit. Hauno was awed at first, but wrote it off as nothing. Kauko didn't seem to notice anything.


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

Kauko, holding a few baskets filled with fruit and bread, made his way down the streets. "Happy birthday!" people called out as he passed them, but he just kept walking, not feeling responding. It wasn't happy for him… He had to make a decision. He sighed and kept moving.

Soon, walking down a generally unbeaten path type of street, he heard voices coming from the nearby alleys. He wrote it off as nothing, but as he walked by, a large vein of water came flying at him. Kauko dropped the baskets and took his bending stance. He held his hands out as the water came, redirected it around his body, spinning with it, and launched it back into the alley, freezing it as it burst. He then looked to see a few kids a few years older than him. They were known for causing trouble, and they were probably trying to rob him. But they obviously didn't count on "him" being Kauko. Kauko decided to leave them there to thaw, or for someone else to find him. "You picked the wrong day to mess with me," he said as he gathered the baskets before leaving.

Upon opening the door to his house, multiple cries of "Happy Birthday!" greeted him. Hauno stood in the center of the entry room with many of Kauko's friends. Sakodo stood in the back corner, saying nothing.

Unfortunately, Kauko wasn't in the mood for surprises. He set the groceries down in the kitchen and walked to his room, slamming the door and locking it behind him. Soon, he heard a knock, followed by a voice.

"Kauko, come on now, it's your birthday!" Hauno's voice called from the hall.

"It's not fair…" Kauko sobbed, tears rolling down his cheeks. He unlocked the door and returned to his bed. Hauno entered and sat down next to him, grabbing his shoulder.

"Come on, it can't be all that bad," Hauno said, gentler this time. "You're 16 now. You're a man! Toughen up!" Hauno playfully punched Kauko in the arm, grinning. Kauko punched back, with a bit more force. "Now come on, your friends are here, lighten up and come on out." Hauno stood up and left the room, leaving the door open. Kauko wiped his eyes and sat up before standing up and removing his coat. He wore a blue tunic with dark blue pants. The Water Tribe insignia was brandished on the back of his tunic. He wore a white shirt under the tunic and a brown cloth belt around his waist. Kauko left the room, closing the door behind him.

After a lot of eating, dancing, and overall partying, it was time for the guests to leave. Kauko stood at the door (and with no jacket, despite the weather), saying goodbye to all of his friends. He noticed someone out of the corner of his eye, standing against the barrier over the canals. The person donned a long, dark cloak with its hood up; Kauko couldn't see their face. As Kauko was closing the door, he looked away, and out of nowhere found himself struggling to push it any further. He turned around and was shocked to see the same person, forcefully keeping the door open. The hood still covered the face, leaving the person's identity unknown.

Slowly, the person pulled something out of the inside of their coat. Terrified at first, Kauko stumbled backwards, but the item was revealed to be a scroll, brandished with the Water Tribe insignia. The person tossed it to Kauko and simply watched as he scrambled to catch it, fumbling it between hands. As Kauko pulled open the scroll, the man took off his hood, revealing himself to be the Chief.

But Kauko didn't notice this. He was too busy reading the scroll.

_Dear Kauko,_

_The duty of writing and delivering this letter was placed upon my shoulders long ago. Fifteen years ago, to be exact. You have been tested throughout your life. Even as a child, you were judged based on your activities, personality, and even the toys you picked._

_The day of your sixteenth birthday has finally arrived, and it is and has been my duty to reveal a great secret to you; you are the Avatar._

As Kauko read these words, he dropped the scroll, his face distorted. He was shocked. He looked up and noticed the man standing in the doorway was, in fact, the Chief. Kauko went back to reading the letter.

_As hard as it has been for me not to tell you, it was also quite necessary. After the events of Avatar Aang being told four years early, he left, resulting in the Great War. It was more important than ever for to know this._

_And as hard as this may be for you to gather, I must also place upon you a task. While as your duty as the Avatar you must master all four elements, there is more. The Earth Kingdom has begun a silent war with the Fire Nation, claiming that it is taking back what it lost in the Great War. You probably do not know this, but Avatar Aang was struck down at Ba Sing Se during the Fire Nation invasion. The Earth King believes the Avatar connection to have been broken, and since the death of Avatar Aang sixteen years ago today, has taken it upon himself to "make up for lost time". The Earth King has been secretly preparing for war, and has only alerted the leaders of the other peoples; myself, and Gale, the leader of the reborn Airbenders (they have begun to call themselves the Air Gathering, as a tribute to the Airbenders of old; the Gathering of the Nomads). No one else, other than you, has been told, and I believe it is your destiny to stop it. I do not know of Gale's stance on the matter; while the Air Nomads were peaceful, their ways have changed. I fear Gale might be involved in the war._

_But above all else Kauko, know that your people will always be here for you. We will support you. You must stop the Silent War from erupting into something much larger. And you must also not tell _anyone _else from the Water Tribe._

_Your Friend,_

_Chief Daroda_

Kauko looked up at Chief Daroda before looking back down at the note. Hauno entered before asking, "What's going on?" Kauko tossed him the scroll.

"So this… This isn't a joke?" Kauko asked, still shocked by this revelation.

Daroda shook his head. "Hauno, you must also not tell anyone. Kauko, I am

afraid I postponed the time of your decision to today because I knew that this would be the day you find out. You will have to leave for Omashu soon, but be careful. I have arranged for the King to teach you. He is outspoken against the war, but if the people of Omashu find out you are indeed the Avatar, they will either capture you in an attempt to use you or…"

"Or what?"

"Or they will kill you."

Kauko looked down. "I understand. I'll start packing." After he left the room, he took a few steps back and asked, "How will I be travelling?"

"By boat. At least for now."

Kauko nodded and returned on his venture to his room. He couldn't believe he was really the Avatar… And he wanted to prove to himself that he was.


	3. Chapter 3: Master of the Night Sky

As the boat pulled away from the harbor, a tear or two slipped down Kauko's face. He looked towards the harbor and waved at Hauno, who also seemed to be crying. The Chief stood next to Hauno, also waving. The boat was long and slender, similar to that of the Vikings. Two Waterbenders stood on each side, waving their arms to pass the currents beneath them. Once the Water Tribe was out of sight, Kauko went below deck to his quarters. In his quarters, there was a small bed and a trunk, as well as water piping for him to use for drinking water and washing. He had placed his belongings in the truck before departure. He opened it up and pulled out a sketchpad and a pencil. He began to draw before drifting off to sleep.

A bump awoke Kauko. He stood up quickly and looked out the porthole in his room. He saw nothing but solid rock. Panicking, he ran up to the deck, and upon reaching it, saw no one. The other Benders were gone. The ship was near the shore of an island, held up by rocks. Kauko ran below deck, looking for any sign of anyone.

"Is there anyone here? Anyone?!" Kauko shouted, scrambling around below the deck. Eventually he ran back to his quarters. He started gathering his belongings. He needed to get out of there.

_'Someone must've known… Someone on the inside. The only people who knew there was an Avatar were the people of the Northern Water Tribe... How could they've found out?!' _Kauko slammed his fist on the bottom of the boat, and though he didn't notice it, the rock next to the porthole sunk back into the ground.

Kauko picked up his sketchpad and looked down at it, and although he didn't draw it, there sat a perfect picture of a girl with flowing white hair in a spectacular white dress in the moonlight. She held her hands together in front of her. At the bottom of the page, a single line was written. "I am the master of the night sky and all Waterbending," Kauko said out loud. He hadn't drawn this… What had happened?

Kauko shook his head, focusing. He needed to get out of there before something bad happened. He put the sketchbook in his pack, along with a few other things and filled up two canteens (one for drinking and one for bending). He ran off of the boat and into the woods, and eventually when he noticed the sun was going down, he set out his sleeping back and sunk in. He drifted off to sleep in the middle of the forest.

The next morning, when Kauko awoke, he looked down at his sketchpad, trying to get another look at he image he had seen last night, but it was gone. Instead, a new image had taken its place. A perfect scale map of the Earth Kingdom appeared, with not only the locations of the cities and towns, but the locations of guard outposts, prisons, and… Kauko gasped. The ship he had been on was marked on the map, near the shore, with rocks holding it up. He began rapidly flipping through the sketchpad, finding valuable information on the Earth Kingdom and a few Waterbending forms shown through accurate drawings. On the last page, Kauko saw a drawing that looked familiar. It was once again the white haired girl from the picture last night, but only her face. At the bottom was a line that read…

"I am Yue…" Kauko read aloud.


	4. Chapter 4: Full Moon Rising

_"Come on, Hauno!" Kauko shouted, running along the icy shores of the North Pole and laughing all the way. Hauno was trying to keep up, but came to a stop, hands on his knees, panting. _

_"You're too much for me, little one," Hauno said, gasping for air and chuckling a bit still. He then walked over to a pile of snow, stuck both hands in and turned his back to Kauko. Kauko wondered what he was doing and tried to see around him, when all of the sudden Hauno spun on his feet and threw the snowball at Kauko. Kauko threw his arms across his body in front of his face. Two gusts of wind flew by his body, sending the snowball away at an awkward angle._

Hauno looked astonished. "Remarkable…" he said. Kauko didn't know what had happened and simply decided the snowball had missed, though he was sure it was going to hit him... He started running along the ice again, beckoning for Hau-

Kauko sat straight up, sweating a bit. _'What's with the flashbacks?'_ he thought. He had been reliving his childhood for the past few nights, but he had no idea why… Maybe it was some Avatar thing? Or maybe it had to do with this Yue person…

Kauko clambered to get out of his sleeping bag. It'd been three days and four nights since the ship had been halted at shore. Using the map from his sketchbook, Kauko was navigating his way towards Omashu. It would take a few more days of work, but he knew he had to get there. The King was expecting him. Kauko threw his rucksack over his shoulder and headed deeper into the woods.

Many hours of walking later, Kauko leaned up against a tree and slid to the ground. He was exhausted. And hungry, his stomach seemed to tell him through rumbling as he slid further down. Once Kauko was completely on the forest's floor, he pulled out a loaf of bread from his bag, taking only a generous slice before returning it. _'Rations,'_ he thought.

As Kauko made his way further through the forest, the sky grew darker and darker. Kauko began to hear unsettling animal noises around him. He readied a water whip, a technique he had found in his sketchbook. The water floated in a circular pattern around his one of his hands, the other holding a firefly lantern. He heard a loud howl from directly behind him. Panicking, he spun and began to walk backwards. Growling came from the bushes around him. Kauko started going faster. Thud! Kauko fell to the ground, a tree root under his heel. The water whip splashed to the ground and his lantern cracked, sending the fireflies frantically flying into the night.

Kauko scrambled backwards until he fell backwards into a large clearing. The light of the moon shone down upon him. Kauko looked up into the sky to see a full moon hanging over the earth. Slowly, from the moonlight, the image of a girl in a flowing white dress and long white hair appeared in the light. Kauko got up to his feet, continuing to look up the beam of light at the moon. The image of the girl descended further and further until eventually she came face to face with the Avatar.

"You're Yue, aren't you?"

"Yes," a spiritually echoing voice called back.

"And that means you're the one who's been helping me," Kauko pointed out to himself.

"Yes," Yue responded in the same ghostly voice. "And it is time for you to begin your spiritual journey as the Avatar. You must travel to the realm of spirits to understand what you represent. You are the link between the spirit world and the real world, and you must understand both halves to fully take on this role."

Kauko looked up at Yue, squinting in the light. Yue began to float backwards towards the moon. The world around Kauko began to darken until all he could see was the beam of light and Yue. He took a seat, crossed his legs, and placed his fists together with his elbows parallel to the ground. Kauko's eyes flashed a pale blue before closing. The journey had begun.


	5. Chapter 5: The Avatar Cycle

As Kauko's eyes opened, he found himself in a colorless world. Around him was the exact same setting he had just been in, but in shades of black, white, and gray. Kauko stood and looked around before realizing he was a glowing bluish color.

"So… This is the Spirit World?" he asked Yue, who he had noticed floating before him

"Yes. And there is someone you need to meet. Please follow me." Yue began to hover backwards further into the woods. Kauko had to run to keep up. Finally, they reached another large clearing, and in the center sat a huge, six-legged bison, glowing as Kauko and Yue were. "This is Appa," Yue said, beckoning towards the bison. "He is the last of the Sky Bison. Or, really, was." Kauko leaned to each side, trying to get a better look at the giant arrowed bison. "Appa will take you to your destination."

Kauko slowly approached the bison. As he got close, Appa grunted and stood up, ready to go. "Mount him," Yue said, "and call 'Yip-yip'. He will then take flight." Kauko nodded and climbed up onto Appa's back.

"Yip-yip!" Kauko called. Appa crouched and pushed off the ground, and with a mighty leap, took flight. Appa began to soar over the Earth Kingdom. Kauko saw both Ba Sing Se and Omashu, as well as smaller towns. Eventually they were over an ocean, and shortly after in a large mountainous region. The mountains were huge. As they flew over, Kauko began to notice small villages in the towns. _'This must be where the Air Gathering is located,' _he thought. Appa began to fly upwards, into the clouds, until they had reached the sky above.

Kauko saw a marvelous sight. Several blue spires poked above the clouds, sitting atop the tallest mountain. Appa swept in and around, until eventually he landed on a large platform. Kauko hopped off of the great bison. He saw several doors bearing the symbol of the Air Nomads. This temple had seemed to go untouched. A statue of an old Airbender, wearing the traditional monk clothing, rested in the center of the platform.

Appa began to walk away. Kauko looked back to see where he was going, but decided it wouldn't matter. _'He was taking me to my "destination",' _he thought, _'so this must be it.' _Kauko approached one of the doors. He eyed the many strange markings and especially the small tunnels. There were no handles on the door; Kauko wondered how it should be open.

A large hissing sound and a spray of air came from the door. It slowly began to open. Kauko, startled, leapt backwards, watching the doors. The smell of ancient air poured out. When the doors had finished opening, there was a large bang, signifying a job complete.

As Kauko entered the room, two blue lights, like eyes, appeared before him, startling him. Rapidly, more blue lights appeared in a spiral, eventually climbing the walls in the same circular pattern. Light poured into the room from seemingly nowhere, revealing the lights to be the eyes of thousands of statues. Kauko looked around, seeing people dressed in traditional Water Tribe garbs, as well as Fire Nation robes, Air Nomad monks garments, and even Earth Kingdom dress.

That's when Kauko heard something behind him. He turned around, seeing a glowing blue man. The man wore monk robes. He had a medium-length gray beard and no hair on his head. Arrow tattoos lined his body, going down his arms and legs and over the back of his head, leaving a large arrow on his forehead.

"Welcome, Kauko," the man said cheerfully. "I am Aang." Appa flew in from seemingly nowhere and landed next to Aang, rubbing up against him. Aang patted him on the head twice and whispered something to him before returning his attention to Kauko. Aang had bright, youthful eyes and seemed to be very cheery. "As you know, Kauko, you are the Avatar, master of all four elements, link between the spirit world and the real world, and defender of both the earth and its inhabitants. I, too, am the Avatar," Aang said, chuckling. "And if you're the Avatar, and I'm the Avatar, that means you're me and I'm you!" Aang began to laugh. Kauko let out a forced laugh and looked at Aang awkwardly. Aang seemed to be able to tell Kauko didn't care for his joke and grinned. "Laughter is good for the soul, Kauko.

"But now is not the time for laughter," Aang said, his face becoming his stern. "I must share a wealth of knowledge with you before you return to the real world." Aang began to pace. "Now, first of all, you must know of the Earth King's plot to obtain revenge on the Fire Nation. This is wrong; he is a cruel man not of the true royal lineage. The true Royal Bloodline of the Earth Kingdom can be found elsewhere. During my time, when Ba Sing Se fell, the Earth King, who was travelling with us at the time, left to live on his own for a while. Eventually he came to live in a small town on the outskirts of the desert. I have a favor to ask of you; return the Earth Kingdom's royal lineage to power."

Kauko nodded. "But what if I don't know who it is?" he asked.

"The family will have a pet bear."

Kauko's face became contorted. "Don't you mean a platypus bear? Or a polar bear dog?"

Aang laughed. "I said the same thing! But no, it's just a bear. Large, brown, and furry," he said. "It might be the same one from my time, named Bosco, though I'm not sure."

Kauko nodded. Strange people, Earth Nation folk… But he proceeded to listen to Aang. "Your other two tasks," Aang began, "will be to master all four elements and stop the threat of war that looms over our world."

Kauko looked down. "But what if I can't do it?"

Aang looked back solemnly. "You must." A bright light began to glow between the two. "Our time is short, I hope you have learned what you need to do! You must hurry and return to the sight that you entered at. Appa!" Aang called. The hulking bison approached, moving faster than what Kauko would've thought possible.

"But why can't you help me?"

Aang stared down for a second and swallowed. "My connection with the Avatar Cycle has been severed. I can only contact you in the spirit world. Yue will be your guide, and will serve as a messenger between us." Appa kicked off and began flying quickly away from the temple. "Goodbye, Kauko," Aang said, less cheerful than when he had arrived.

"Why can't I stay? Why don't we have more time?" Kauko yelled from the rapidly departing Appa.

"If the light catches you, you will be trapped here, and the Avatar Cycle will end," Aang called back. "Go, hurry!"

The white light grew larger by the second, engulfing the Air Temple and eventually the mountain range. Appa flew towards the forest in the Earth Kingdom. The light began to wrap around the two. Kauko swung his head around frantically.

"Jump, Kauko!" a female voice rang. Kauko took a leap of faith into the trees off of Appa. Looking below him, he saw his body, and behind him, he saw the white light rapidly approaching. He closed his eyes and braced himself, but the pain never came.


End file.
